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Meet Reec Swiney of Positive American Youth in Austell

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Reec Swiney.

Ambitious. Unstoppable. Undeniably Talented. Mr. Who U Wit? Reec’s entertaining style of hosting is an indisputable reflection of the many characteristics he embodies. Early on, Reec struggled for balance and stability as far back as he can remember. Moving from state to state and attending eight schools in seven years, Reec finally found a solid base in 1996; under his father’s roof in East Orange, New Jersey. When thinking back on the move that ultimately inspired him to be where he is today, REEC says Under his tutelage I learned to challenge myself and believe that anything is possible through persistence, consistency and planning.”

Early Life. Rigorous individual practices honed REEC’s skills causing him to accelerate on the inner-city basketball courts of New York and New Jersey. He eventually landed a scholarship at Atlanta’s Southern Polytechnic State University, which is where his undiscovered gift – the gift of rhyme was recognized. Stepping up from performing for his teammates on long bus rides, Reec began to enter talent shows around Atlanta, eventually releasing two singles that gained national success. “Get to the Money” & “Let’s Go” were definite fan favorites generating single sales that placed Reec in the top ten on the world-renowned Billboard Charts for over 40 weeks with 92 separate chart appearances!

Meet the Entertainer. Never being the one to play one position, Reec transitioned from hip hop artist to the voice of Middays (10 am – 2 pm Monday – Saturday) on Radio One’s hip hop based station, Hot 107.9 FM for six years, having amazing listenership and ratings. He also hosts a weekly, top-rated show on Fleet DJ’s Radio, the number 1 Hip Hop Station on the internet! He has been featured on Fox’s hit TV show “STAR” and on season 1 – 5 of TvOne’s “Rickey Smiley For Real.” Reec also travels with Redbull as the Host for various campaigns and you can find him ringside at many championship boxing matches adding his flare and style to pre, post and in fight coverage.

Community Commitment. REEC’s work with Positive American Youth and has received the coveted NAACP “Unsung Hero Award and Community Service Awards from the Mayor’s of Atlanta, Austell (GA) and The City of East Orange (NJ). REEC’s signature program (Lunch On REEC) allows him to see 24 different underprivileged youth weekly and serve them a gourmet meal and bring in celebrity and professional guests to give words of inspiration and hope to the young audiences. REEC has recently authored a children’s book series based on Positive American Youth’s anti-bullying mascot “Ice The Bully.” Through a free literacy tour, Reec and “Ice” push concepts that each of these books promotes including fitness, nutrition, saving money and more.

Reec’s deep commitment and service have helped to gain him a list of honors and awards, indicating his community’s appreciation for his sacrifices and hard work. He has been featured on Oprah’s Angel Network website for his work with PAYUSA’s Ball 4 Books 3 on 3 programs; Voted by Boys and Girls Club members to speak at the BGCMA’s Passport to Manhood; Hot Block Magazine Hip Hop Community Service Award; Featured in Flyer Promo City Guide for community commitment; Inducted into the Atlanta Metro College Athletics Hall of Fame, Host of the Community report on Open Vision Network TV; Featured on People TV, and named a member of United Athletes Foundation (UAF) alongside Ray Lewis, and Jim Brown.

It’s no surprise why when he ask crowds, “Who U With? They gladly respond REEC!

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
During Covid19 I’ve met some personal and business challenges but have made some great strides to continue growing as an entertainer/personality, as well as creatively continuing to serve the less fortunate. When the pandemic struck and many people were forced to shelter in, I was one of them. I began broadcasting from my home studio while still connecting to listeners via social media. I was also able to utilize the airwaves to give the community information on resources such as free food, bill assistance and more. A lot of the resources I made people aware of came from our own non-profit organization, Positive American Youth.

On April 7th, I laid off due to the Covid 19 pandemic along with a few other awesome coworkers and other radio talent around the world. It was a shock, but also a blessing in disguise because I was able to work more diligently with our non-profit, and found a lot of support so that we could triple our food pantry output, supply more household items such as toiletries and even secure ad distribute thousands of stuffed book bags in the month of July.

I was also offered a position to do online radio on a top-rated online station (Fleet Djs Radio). Within two weeks, I had the number 1 rated show on air. I’m looking forward to getting back on terrestrial radio as soon as my non-compete is up, especially with these new community resources to share with listeners and with a sharpened skill set to entertain.

Please tell us about Positive American Youth.
Positive American Youth’s (P.A.Y. Inc.) mission is to reach our community through positive and productive events and programs, and by building lasting relationships that will help strengthen America. Hence our motto is: “People helping people help themselves.”

Positive American Youth, Inc. is a well established Nonprofit 501c3 organization located in Atlanta, Georgia. Our events and programs reach over 14,000 people monthly. We have partnerships with 263- schools across metro Atlanta, including many Cobb and Douglas County Schools (APS). We are also a proud partner of the Boys and Girls Clubs of America and a number of other recreational centers around the city. We offer free programs various partner schools each year. Some of these resources include providing free meals and snacks to students facing hunger challenges over the weekends, anti-bullying and literacy programs.

Even though our name is Positive American Youth, we take it very seriously when it comes to lending resources to the entire family, adults and seniors included. We provide over 3,000 people monthly with free groceries and meals with our food distribution service.

The recent economic effects of the pandemic have almost tripled our food pantry output. We have been able to successfully execute multiple “Drive Through – non Contact” food distributions throughout Cobb and Fulton County, serving thousands of per event. We will continue to service our immediate Cobb community with our local pantry and with these mass drive-through events. We have recently supported and administered free mask and glove give away events and back to school supply distributions as well. All while practicing social distancing practices.

Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
I have an extremely supportive family that includes my business partner and manager, the guy who I got my name from, my Dad, aka Maurice “Pops” Swiney. If you know me for real, you already know how key Pops is in my journey as a brand but as a man first. I also have a really knowledgeable mentor by the name of hurricane Dave, who was formerly my boss at Radio One but is nothing less than a big brother and mentor as of recent.

My immediate family has been very supportive, as well. I couldn’t do it without wifey (beautiful, talented and supportive as ever through this tough time) and the kids, aka Them Swiney’s, Lol. Big shout out to my Grandad, Mom, siblings (Troy, karimu, Angel) and all my friends as well, including my “adopted” big sis Mz Shyneka.

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